OxyContin maker reaches tentative opioid-crisis settlement

Photo: (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)In this August 2018 file photo, family and friends who have lost loved ones to OxyContin and opioid overdoses protest outside Purdue Pharma headquarters in Stamford, Conn. OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma made headlines when it reached a landmark settlement with Oklahoma over the toll the opioids crisis has taken on that state. Attempts to do the same in a major federal case in Ohio are proving more difficult.

Updated: September 11, 2019 02:52 PM

Nearly half the states and some 2,000 local governments have agreed to a tentative settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over the toll of the nation's opioid crisis.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said the agreement reached Wednesday included more money from the family that owns Purdue than had been offered previously.

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He told The Associated Press the tentative settlement deal was the quickest way to get relief for communities devastated by the opioid epidemic.

Sources with direct knowledge of the talks say that Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue will pay up to $12 billion over time and that the Sackler family will give up control of the company. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Paul Farrell is an attorney for several local governments. He said in a text message that they have agreed to a deal that has been on the table for several weeks.

Even with Wednesday's development, roughly half the states had not signed on. Several state attorneys general vowed to continue their legal battles against the company and the Sacklers.